Pilot Training Blog

Flying is generally safe for babies. The operational word is “generally”, but it is a case-to-case basis. You have to seek advice from your paediatrician if your baby’s condition is safe enough to put your child on a plane. Some would probably say that you can fly your baby as early as a day old while others might advise you to wait for at least two weeks or a month. Babies delivered prematurely or through caesarean section might have greater risks than babies given birth in healthy full terms.

There are various things to consider before you decide if it is really necessary to take that flight or suspend it for a certain period of time. Here are some that you just have to think through prior to pursuing your plan of flying with your baby.

Airline Regulations

Although there is no overarching regulation when it comes to traveling with a baby, some airlines might not allow new-born babies younger than a month or two to fly on their aircraft. Others may require from your physician a medical certification that it is safe to travel your baby. You have to ask the airline before you book.

Mother’s Condition

Mothers still experience some postpartum effects and may not be in the best condition to travel. If the mother gave birth through caesarean section, the more she needs rest. Before you check if your baby is healthy enough to take air travel, have yourself checked first with your doctor.

Baby’s Immune System

The airport is always a crowded place where the presence of all sorts of virus, germs and bacteria is viable. Some doctors ask the mothers to wait until the baby has received all the immunization shots before allowing them to travel. Still, despite this precaution, a baby’s immune system may not yet fully develop to resist any kind of infection.

Air Pressure Build-up

Change in cabin pressure, especially during take-off and landing, may cause your baby’s ears to pop or feel pain. To avoid this, feed your baby or have him on pacifier to balance the pressure. Also, consider if your baby has breathing difficulties as this may also affect his body during the flight.

Think back to your last flight on a commercial airline. Was your pilot, and their copilot, male? Chances are, they most likely were. It’s quite rare to fly with a female pilot in the cockpit, and far more common to find women serving as flight attendants on each and every flight. There are many women who work in the airline industry, from positions within individual airports to hopping from plane to plane as a flight attendant. Yet what is it that makes a female pilot such a rare sight to see when traveling, especially on commercial flights?

Female pilots have been flying for quite some time – Helen Richey was the very first female pilot of a commercial plane nearly 80 years ago – but they certainly haven’t come to dominate the profession or the industry. Only five percent of the 53,000 pilots who are members of the Air Line Pilots Association are women, in this organization which represents pilots for major airlines in both the U.S. and Canada. And just 450 women act as airline captains, the supervising pilots of a plane, internationally. These numbers are dramatically low, but why so?

One reason is that many women find the profession of a pilot unattractive is because it’s an expensive and difficult path to pursue. In order to earn a pilot’s license, especially for a commercial plane, individuals must spend significant amounts of money and time in order to achieve all necessary training. Once pilot certifications have been earned, continuous training is required throughout the duration of a pilot’s career.

Additionally, working as a pilot isn’t a profession that allows for great lengths of time at home. Women often dislike the demands of flying commercial airliners because the position of a pilot requires them to leave home frequently, taking them from their roles within their individual families. Challenging, demanding, and ever-changing, working as a pilot comes with many unique responsibilities.

Finally, some sociologists have found that women tend to consider becoming pilots only if they have been introduced to the possibility of flying at a young age. Typically, young girls believe that working as pilot is dangerous and too difficult, which leads them to consider other careers. However, those who grew up with pilots in their families, or who found a love of flying early on, were far more likely to actually attempt to become a pilot.

So, although the number of female pilots in the world of commercial flight is far and few between, there are many factors that cause this to be the case. An entirely different job than so many others, life as a pilot comes with unusual demands.

Becoming a pilot is a difficult task, a journey with significant learning, training, and practice required to achieve success and safety. Over the course of those many hours of preparation and study, pilots must also hone certain skills in order to excel in the sky – and when you’re sitting down for a particularly long flight, focus is key. You don’t want to find your mind and attention wandering while piloting an airplane, as this could lead to danger for you and your potential passengers. Even experienced pilots can struggle with focus when things are monotonous or dull, as who isn’t prone to distraction when at work? However, a lack of focus can be combated with a few tricks.

Ignore What Isn’t Immediately Important

In today’s world of instantaneous emails, text messages, and social media, we all feel as though we need to respond to everyone and everything urgently. If we don’t reply quickly enough, the problem could grow larger – but so often, we forget that not every question, text, or “crisis” is truly urgent. Instead, all of that sudden response and attention that we devote to these non-essential items distracts us and ruins our ability to focus on one thing: the most important task at hand. As a pilot, it’s important to keep your attention on what’s right before you rather than what’s happening around you. Instead of worrying about your growing email list, the noisy passengers, or even flight attendant questions, focus on what requires your attention above all else. By tuning out what isn’t crucial, you can keep your mind on flying.

Turn Down Some Jobs

Most of us want to load up on work, to take on as much responsibility or as many tasks as we can to prove our strengths. However, working to the point of exhaustion doesn’t do any good; instead, it hinders our ability to focus on any of our work and lowers the quality of our performance. If you’re starting to feel overwhelmed, tired, or even in need of a vacation, don’t volunteer to pilot any additional flights and increase your workload. It’s better for your focus if you turn down some of those extra opportunities – on every flight, you’ll be able to concentrate better and focus on your work rather than feel the distracting weight of all of your added responsibility.

Every pilot knows that precision is necessary. It is the only way that his flight can be successful at all times. This can be achieved through continuous training and frequent flying in order to improve his skills and performance. Focus on the task at hand is also very critical. They have to remember that the lives of the people onboard is in their hands. If this is something that they may be struggling with, there are certain supplements that can improve their cognitive functions.

Ginkgo Biloba

Ginkgo Biloba is one well-known treatment that is used in Chinese medicine. This supplement has a positive effect on one’s blood flow to the brain and it could improve your focus and cognitive speed. Ginkgo can help treat memory problems that is brought about by dementia or Alzheimer’s. Although there is no standard dose for this supplement, best that you get an advice from your doctor.

Iron

Iron deficiency could result to anemia which can affect your energy level, skin health, memory and your ability to concentrate. This is because iron is one mineral that is essential in the formation of the red blood cells that delivers oxygen and nutrients to your organs all over your body including your brain. Iron is one supplement that Pilots can take in order to focus better.

Folate (Folic Acid)

Folate is not just a supplement intended for pregnant women. This vitamin plays an important role in the production of the red and white blood cells and the platelets. Similar to having iron deficiency, you could have a folic acid deficiency anemia if you experience weakness, fatigue, paleness, dizziness and difficulty in concentrating or focusing. Although you can get folate from foods, you could also get them from supplements.

Vitamin B-12

Vitamin B12 is one essential vitamin that keeps the nerve and blood cells healthy. Lack of vitamin B12 could also result to poor memory and it can damage your nervous system even if you don’t have anemia.

One should bear in mind that supplements are just another option to get the nutrients that your body needs. It should never be considered as food substitutes. And if you decide to take one, do visit your doctor first so you will be advised accordingly.

A skincare regimen can make the difference between youthful, glowing skin and dull, dried out itchiness. We all want to take care of our skin on a daily basis, taking great caution to ensure it looks its best – but when your work schedule demands that you spend days and nights on the road, in hotels, or in the air, your skincare regimen can take a backseat. Depending on your various travel situations, too, it can be increasingly impossible to fit in time to take care of your skin. If you’re struggling to fit in time to properly care for your skin, here are a few different ways to make sure your skin is looking its best even after days or weeks of traveling.

Make Sure to Moisturize

Moisturizing is the key to keeping skin elastic, able to bounce back against signs of aging and movements that can cause wrinkles. When skin dries out, it loses its elasticity and deep lines begin to become permanent. Fight the damaging effects of dryness by ensuring that your skin – your face, your limbs, and the rest of your body – is well hydrated. Before getting on a plane, or traveling to a dry climate, switch to a more intense moisturizer.

Skip Makeup Some Days

Think makeup is the key to hiding all of your skin flaws? It’s not – in fact, it could be causing bigger problems if you’re a frequent traveler. Swap your normal foundation powder for a heavy-duty moisturizer the day of your actual travels. This will keep your skin hydrated, and, if you choose one with a tint, glowing just as much as it would with the addition of makeup. If you absolutely cannot go without makeup, it’s crucial that you protect your skin beneath those layers of product. Apply a primer before adding more makeup, which helps all that you put on your face last longer while adding moisture.

Hydrate with Water

Hydration is important, as mentioned above. Yet you don’t have to rely on skincare products alone to make sure dryness doesn’t become a problem when flying. Refresh your skin’s moisture by bringing a mineral water mister that you can spray on your skin. Whenever your skin starts feeling tight, a sign it’s drying out, go ahead and give yourself a quick spritz.

A recent turn of events may require you to load a plane on a regular basis. This could be due to work commitments or perhaps you just get the travel bug. You may never have flown on a plane before but fly on a regular basis such as weekly or monthly. Flying frequently needs some significant adjustment from your body to get your system adapt to the rigorous demands of air travel. If you fly only once in a while these some of our tips below may not be quite as important as others, but if you fly on a regular basis, consider taking on all the tips below. One little mistake could lead to a missed flight, being dehydrated on the flight, or not being able to board the flight. Below are some pointers that you need to remember if you will be traveling more often.

Before the Flight

Research about the place. Before you travel, know about your destination, the airport where you will be landing and other pertinent information.

Prepare the necessary documents. Keep your documents in one place, have a photocopy ready and leave another copy in your home.

Check and recheck your name on your ticket. Avoid delays by making sure the details in your documents are correct.

Select the right seat. If you want to sleep the entire flight, take the window seat. But if you frequent the lavatory, opt for the aisle seat.

Prepare yourself. Bring with you some water (you’ll need to purchase this after going through customs and airport security), bring moisturizer to help avoid stretch marks and to keep your skin healthy and hydrated, and a sweater. Planes to get dry due to the air-conditioning and often cold. Be prepared.

Pack light and smart.Bring only what is important and in small quantities. Roll your clothes to tighten the contents of your luggage.

Recharge your batteries. Put all your gadgets and electronic devices in one kit bag and ensure that batteries are fully charged.

At the Airport and In the Plane

Give time allowance going to the airport. Consider your travel time from your home to the airport and add at least an hour of allowance for traffic and other unforeseen circumstances.

Dress appropriately. Wear sarong or layers so you can adjust if the temperature is warm or cold.

Select the right security line. Choose the line that is fast and one that does not have kids.